Urskog/Sprider Sporer/Ididit Records/2017 EP Review

  Urskog  are  a  solo  project  from  Sweden  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  metal,  thrash,  punk  and  sludge  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2017  ep  "Sprider  Sporer"  which  was  released  by  Ididit  Records.

  A  very  hard,  heavy  and  melodic  sound  starts  off  the  ep  and  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  old  school  influences  and  after  awhile  crossover  style  vocals  and  thrash  influences  are  added  onto  the  recoridng  along  with  some  death  metal  growls  and  the  music  also  mixes  in  a  great  amount  of  punk  and  d  beat  elements.

  A  great  amount  of  sludge  elements  can  be  heard  in  the  slower  riffing  while  a  decent  amount  of  high  pitched  screams  can  be  heard  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  remain  true  to  an  old  school  style  of  extreme  metal  and  while t he  music  is  very  retro  it  also  sounds  very  modern  all  at  the  same  time.

  Urkskog  plays  a  musical style   that  takes  sludge,  punk,  death  and  thrash  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  his  own,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics a re  written  in  Swedish  and  cover  envoromental  issues  and  Nordic  Mythology.

  In  my  opinion  Urkskog  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  metal,  thrash,  punk  and  sludge  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  solo  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Ur  Skogen".  8  out  of  10.  

 

Oceanwake/Earthen/ViciSolum Records/2017 CD Review

  Oceanwake  are  a  band  from  Finland  that  plays  a  progressive  mixture  of  doom,  death  and  post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Earthen"  which  was  released  by  ViciSolum  Records.

  Avant  garde  soundscapes  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  heavy  yet  melodic  doom  metal  riffing  a  few  seconds  later  while  clean  guitar  is  also  used  quite  a  bit  throughout  the  recording  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  after  awile  grim  screams  are  added  onto  the  recording.

  Death  metal  growls  are  also  a  very  huge  part  of  the  recording  while  the  music  also  adds  in  a  touch  of  black  metal  and  the  synths  also  bring  in  a  great  amount  of  atmospheric  sounding  synths  along  with  clean  singing  and  elements  of  post  rock  being  added  onto  the  recording  and  both  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic in  length.

  Oceanwake  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  atmospheric  doom,  death,  progressive  and  post  metal  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  something  very  original,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Oceanwake  are  a  very  great  sounding  progressive  mixture  of  doom, death  and  post  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "A  Storm  Sermon".  8  out  of  10.  

Lunatic Hooker Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

We are a 5 piece extreme metal band from Southern England. The band actually started as just a fun little side project idea in early 2015 as myself and a couple of the other guys had been recently been getting back into the old death metal and grindcore stuff we used to listen to years ago and thought it might be fun to just write a couple of tracks or an ep of real heavy stuff. Once we started writing we realized right away that we actually had something pretty cool and unique here and decided to get a couple of our other friends on board and Lunatic Hooker then became a proper band. We had all been having some issues in other bands we were playing in and so Lunatic Hooker really became our way of reconnecting with the fun of being in a band with a bunch of friends and writing some heavy as hell music whilst having a few beers. It re-lit the passion for playing music in all of us.

2.You have an album coming out in April, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

Our sound is kind of a mixture of modern grindcore, old school death metal and sludge/doom metal. Like Napalm Death mixed with early Entombed mixed with Iron Monkey, or something. None of which was pre-planned, it is simply what came out of us when we had a few drinks and cranked up the Boss HM-2 pedals!

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

Lyrically the album covers a few different topics but overall is mainly looking at the ridiculous and terrible things that some members of the human race do. So there is religion, environmental issues, murder, torture etc etc but the album title 'Embracing The Filth' (and the title track) is actually saying that yeah things can be pretty fucked up but we are all gonna end up in the ground eventually so lets enjoy the ride, have a beer and if the end of the world is coming then lets greet it with a smile!  

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Lunatic Hooker'?

The band name came from our vocalist George and I believe it is simply the result of late night 'herbal' discussions between him and some friends regarding funny stories and names for a band etc. There is no deep meaning behind the name, it is simply the name that he suggested and we all quite liked it and so went with it.

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?

Well we have only really played a handful of shows so far but have been fortunate enough to play with bands such as Magrudergrind, Ghoul, Hang The Bastard and Conjuror, so they have been cool shows. Our recent show supporting Ghoul at The Camden Underworld was a particularly enjoyable show. Our live performance i would describe as heavy, energetic, passionate and full on. We certainly are not the sort of band that just stands still on stage! ;-)

6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the album is released?

Nothing booked as yet but yeah we are making inquiries and trying to get some shows lined up for once the album is released.

7.The album is coming out on 'Black Bow Records', are you happy with the support that they have given you so far?

Of all the labels we contacted, they were the ones who were most enthusiastic about the album and were able to offer us the kind of deal we were hoping for, that's why we decided to go with them and so far, so good. We always felt that we would rather work with a smaller label who really gets us and is enthusiastic about the band, rather than maybe work with a bigger label that doesn't give a rats arse about us.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal, grindcore, and sludge?

Well it's very early days yet but so far the feedback has been great! We have had good feedback and comments from people into death metal, grindcore, black metal, sludge, doom etc etc and the album reviews so far have been very positive. Which is nice.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Who knows? As i mentioned earlier, our style/sound wasn't a planned thing, it is literally just what came out of us. So who knows what we will come up with in the future? I think we have come across a pretty cool niche sound for ourselves though, so I wouldn't expect us to stray massively away from what we have done on this album.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Bands that influenced us as regards the sound of Lunatic Hooker would be bands like Napalm Death, Rotten Sound, Nasum, Entombed, Carcass, Dissection, EyeHateGod, Iron Monkey etc etc. What we listen to at the moment? well we all listen to all sorts of stuff. Everything from Depeche Mode to Anaal Nathrakh  

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Personally, I am into whiskys (especially Islay), I support Fulham FC, I enjoy watching the UFC, Films, Beer, Food, spending time with the kids etc etc. Normal stuff really. Despite us making an unholy racket as a band, we are actually nice, fairly normal people :-)

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Thanks for your time. Everyone can have a listen to one of the tracks off our upcoming debut album here - https://youtu.be/IGqSTMQg_dY

Keep an eye on our facebook page for live dates, merch, videos, album release details etc.


Cheers


Ross (Guitarist)

Lunatic Hooker/Embracing The Filth/Black Bow Records/2017 CD Review

  Lunatic  Hooker  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  mixture  of  death  metal,  grindcore,  and  sludge  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2017  album  "Embracing  The  Filth"  which  will  be  released  in  April  by  Black  Bow  Records.

  Distorted  drones  along  with  some  powerful  sounding bass  guitars  start  off  the  album  before going  into  a  heavier  direction  and  also  introducing  death  metal  growls  onto  the  recording  and  when  the music  speeds  up  elements  of  grindcore  along  with  brutal  blast  beats  and  high  pitched  screams  can  be  heard.

  A  great  amount  of  90's  influences  can  be  heard  in  the  bands  musical  style  while  the  solos  and  leads  are  done  in  a  very  old  school  death  metal  style  and  melodies  can  also  be  heard  in  some  of  the  guitar  riffing  and  the  songs  also  bring  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  tracks  bringing  in  elements  of  sludge and  horror  movie  samples can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  heavy  direction.

  Lunatic  Hooker  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  death  metal,  grindcore and  sludge  and  mixes  them  together  to  create  a  sound  of  their  own,  the  production  sounds  very professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  horror,  gore, and  violence  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Lunatic  Hooker  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  death  metal,  grindcore,  and  sludge  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "My  God  Is  Bigger  Than  Yours"  "Unearthed  Dead  Children"  "Cult  Chaos"  and  "Sarlac'.  8  out  of  10.   

Calliophis/Cor Serpentis/Solitude Productions/2017 Full Length Review

  Calliophis  are  a  band  from Germany  that  plays  a  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  this  is  a  review of  their  2017  album  "Cor  Serpentis"  which  will  be  released  on  March  27th  by  Solitude  Productions.

  Atmospheric  synths  start  off  the  album  and  after  awhile  acoustic  guitars  are  added  onto  the  recording  as  well  as  some drum  beats  a  few  seconds  later which  also  leads  up  to  a  heavier  musical  direction  that  also  introduces  death  metal  growls  along  with  some  melodic  guitar  leads and  solos  onto  the  recording.

  A  lot  of  doom  metal  elements  can  be  heard  in  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  and  a  great  portion  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  while  also  having  a  more  up  to  date  production  while  acoustic  guitars  also  return  on  some  of  the  later  tracks  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording  and  there  is  also  a  brief  use  of  experimental  and  avant  garde  elements  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction.

  Calliophis  plays  a  musical  style  that  takes  doom  metal  and  mixes  it  in  with  the  heaviness  of  death  metal,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for  being  a  self  released  recording  while  th e lyrics  cover  human  tragedies, fairy  tales,  sadness,  and  death  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Calliophis  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  doom  and  death  metal  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Cleansing"  and  "Seven  Suns".  8  out  of  10. 

Longhouse/II: Vanishing/2017 Full Length Revirew

  Longhouse  are  a  band  from  Ottawa,  Ontario,  Canada  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  mixture of  sludge,  doom  and  post  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  "II:  Vanishing"  which  will  be  released  in  April.

  Melodic  post  rock  style  guitar  leads  start  off  the  album  along  with  some  atmospheric  sounds  and  they  also  mix  in  with  the  heavier  sludge  and  doom  metal  influenced  riffing  and  the  riffs  also  use  a  great  amount  of  dark sounding  melodies  and  you  can  also  hear  all  of  the  musical  instruments  that  are  present  on  the  recording.

  Most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  while t he  vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  sludge  style  screams  and  some  of  the  riffing  adds  in  a  touch  of  stoner  metal  while  growls  can  also  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  all  of  the  tracks  also  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction  and  clean  playing  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  melodic  singing  along  with  psychedelic  elements  are  added  onto  the  last  track.

  Longhouse  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  sludge,  doom,  and  post  metal  mixtures  of  their  previous  release,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  for being  a  self  released  recording  while  the  lyrics  cover   Indigenous  culture  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Longhouse  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  sludge,  doom,  and  post  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Hunter's  Moon"  and  "The  Vigil".  8  out  of  10.

Laments Of Silence Interview

1 Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
The new album has only a few months of life, therefore we are in full promotion of it. We are saling it on different platforms, making it known in websites, magazines,... and closing dates to present it live.

2 In November you had released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
In this album you can find everything that is expected of a metal album: powerful guitars, blaring batteries, guttural voices that play with melodic ones,... Refering to the past there is a clear evolution but we haven’t lost the essence of what has been Laments of Silence for all these years.

3 This is your first album in 6 years, can you tell us a little bit more about was going on during that time span?
In this time there have been changes in the band, we suffered a robbery in our rehearsal room and up to three members of the group have been parents, all made us consider whether or not to continue with music. The answer is called “System failure”, an album desired by both us and our fans.

4 Originally the band played more of a goth metal style but have evolved into a mixture of industrial and melodic death metal, what was the decision behind going into this direction?
It was not a decision, in all these years we have grown and evolved at the same time as our music. If now our music sounds like industrial and melodic death metal, Perfect! but we do not seek to box in one style or another.

5 What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
Our themes speak about the current situation, how rotten our world is, that we must unite to overthrow those who oppress us,...

6 What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name “laments of Silence”?
There are many who lament in silence, who cry inside without expressing their feelings, we want to give voice to that silence.

7 What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe you stage performance?
It is difficult to choose one or another concert, it is like to love one child more than another, we love it all equally, with their failures but with their good things too,... but if we have to choose one we would choose our live show in the festival Revoltallo in Vigo a few years ago, it was a great night. About our stage performance we have evolved too, giving more importance to the music than the image.

8 Do you have any touring or shows plans for the future?
As we said before, we are closing dates for the live presentation of our cd, so far this month we have a band contest in Barcelona and a possible concert with Hamlet in Tarragona in April, we continue to work to bring our music the farther the better .

9 The new album was self released, are you open to working with another record label again in the future?
We know how the world of music is, it is difficult for the record labels to bet on new bands or small bands, but of course we would like to work again if they given the opportunity, we would be delighted.

10 On a worldwide level how was the feedback been to your newer music by fans of industrial and melodic death metal?
The fans have received the new album very well, they have been waiting for a long time and we believe that they have taken a great surprise to see the evolution of the band. The music we make is for us but also for them and it is very important for us their opinion about the new work and other aspects related to the band.

11 Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Who knows, the man just like this band never stops evolving, but what if it is clear is that we will continue making the music that we like to play, we do not see us playing music that does not fill us.

12 What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
We listen everything, we are 6 members of the band with different musical tastes, we basically listen from hard rock to melodic death metal, from metalcore to heavy metal, from Evergrey to Scar Symmetry or from Within Temptation to Metallica ...

13 What are some of your non musical interests?
We are a very normal people, we like to read from comics to historical novel, to watch television series, movies, sports, being with our babies,...
14 Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We hope this interview reaches many people, to know us but above all enjoy our album.